California Air Resources Board

Summary

Would require, among other things, a State body that elects to conduct a meeting by teleconference to make the portion that is required to be open to the public both audibly and visually observable. The bill would require a State body that elects to conduct a meeting by teleconference to post an agenda at the designated primary physical meeting location in the notice of the meeting where members of the public may physically attend the meeting and participate. The bill would remove the requirement that each teleconference location be identified in the notice and agenda of the meeting, and each teleconference location be accessible to the public. Was not heard in the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee.

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Summary

Authorizes establishment of a Green Empowerment Zone for the Northern Waterfront area of Contra Costa County until January 1, 2028; tasks the Green Empowerment Zone with various duties; identifies the membership of the board of directors; and requires the Green Empowerment Zone to report to the Legislature. The bill identifies four State government representatives who reside within Contra Costa County, one of which is a CARB member, as members of the Green Empowerment Zone Board. The bill allows the residential and service qualifications for board membership as a State government representative to be waived by a majority vote.

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Summary

Provides that it is the intent of the Legislature that CARB, in consultation with the local air districts, review established guidance and policies related to prescribed fire with the goal of maximizing acreage and opportunities to implement prescribed fire in order to reduce the air pollution associated with high-severity wildfire. The bill also makes various changes to State law to enhance wildland fire prevention efforts, including, among other things, incorporating and facilitating cultural burning practices, and requiring the identification of moderate and high fire hazard severity zones in local responsibility areas, as specified.

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Summary

Requires the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to develop a plan, as specified, with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources. The bill requires CDPH to consult with specified stakeholders, including CARB, in developing the air quality health plan. Additionally, the bill requires a county, in advance of its next emergency plan update, to use the CDPH air quality health plan to develop a county-specific plan that addresses all recommendations and guidelines of CDPH’s air quality health plan, as specified.

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Summary

Authorizes, until January 31, 2022 and subject to specified notice and accessibility requirements, a State body to hold public meetings through teleconferencing and to make public meetings accessible telephonically, or otherwise electronically, to all members of the public seeking to observe and to address the State body. With respect to a State body holding a public meeting pursuant to these provisions, the bill suspends certain requirements of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, including the requirements that each teleconference location be accessible to the public and that members of the public be able to address the State body at each teleconference location. Under the bill, a State body that holds a meeting through teleconferencing and allows members of the public to observe and address the meeting telephonically or otherwise electronically would satisfy any requirement that the State body allow members of the public to attend the meeting and offer public comment.

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Summary

Would have required that a Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act notice of a State body include all writings or materials provided for the noticed meeting to a member of the State body by the staff of a State agency, board, or commission, or another member of the State body that are in connection with a matter subject to discussion or consideration at the meeting. The bill also would have required that such writings or materials be made available on the State body’s website, and to any person who requests the writings or materials in writing, on the same day as the dissemination of the writings and materials to members of the State body or at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting, whichever is earlier. Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would have required, by January 1, 2023, each State agency to review its regulations for duplicative, overlapping, inconsistent, or out-of-date regulations; hold a public hearing to accept comment on proposed revisions to identified regulations; adopt, amend, or repeal regulations to reconcile identified issues; and report to the Governor and Legislature on compliance with these requirements. The bill also would have required overseeing agencies to notify their boards, departments, and offices of regulations that are duplicative, overlapping, or inconsistent with those adopted by another department, board, or office within the agency. The bill would have provided that the effective date of a regulation would not apply if the Legislature passed a statute to override the regulation. The bill also would have required the Office of Administrative Law to submit a copy of each approved major regulation submitted to the Secretary of State to each house of the Legislature for review.Held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

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Summary

Would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact subsequent legislation to promote environmental justice by ensuring that disadvantaged communities, often low-income communities of color, do not continue to be overburdened with unfair shares of pollution. Was not heard by the Senate Rules Committee.

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Summary

Would require CARB to appoint, on or before January 31, 2022, the State-Regional Collaborative for Climate, Equity, and Resilience, consisting of representatives of various entities. Would require the Collaborative to develop a quantitative tool for metropolitan planning organizations to use to evaluate a transportation plan’s consistency with long-range greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and recommend guidelines for metropolitan planning organizations to use when crafting long-range strategies that integrate state goals related to climate resilience and social equity. Would require CARB, on or before June 30, 2023, and in coordination with the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), issue new guidelines on sustainable communities strategies based on the Collaborative’s work and requires these guidelines to be updated thereafter at least every 4 years. Would require CARB, in consultation with CTC and HCD, identify greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2050 that align with the Collaborative’s work. Was not heard in the Senate Transportation Committee.

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Summary

Extends the sunset on the Road Usage Charge (RUC) Technical Advisory Committee until January 1, 2027, requires the State Transportation Agency to implement a RUC pilot program, as specified, to identify and evaluate issues related to the collection of revenue for a road charge program by January 1, 2023, and requires two reports to the Legislature, by 2024 and 2026 respectively.

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